aUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Methods for evaporating oil produced water (OPW) have been tested and used to remove salinity by means of solar energy. The aim of the present study was to assess the application of a conventional solar still in the desalination of treated OPW, investigating the temperatures reached and comparing them with solar radiation levels. The solar distillation equipment consisted of a two-water single effect passive solar still. The still was fed with treated OPW. Temperatures were recorded using data loggers with PT100 sensors. The experiments were conducted between February and April 2008. The temperatures obtained are consistent with the type of still used and the seasons of the year. The maximum recorded temperatures varied between 49.9 °C and 63.8 °C. The distilled volume ranged between 48 and 240 mL/h. The estimated daily amount produced was compatible with literature values. The results show that the single-effect solar still can also be used to desalinate treated OPW